Philosophy
by Lady Starwing
Summary: After all ... the sins of the father are the curse of the son ..." "that might be true, but curses can be broken" Lloyd and Kratos having a talk at nighttime ... oyako-ish


It was night time, and as Kratos had begun to anticipate, Lloyd sought him out after dinner was done, a distant look on his face. This happened frequently, and while the auburn found it to be rather strange that the boy would seek him out, he took comfort in the fact that he could at least communicate with his son in some form. Looking at the teen with a faint smile, he asked, "Well, Lloyd, is there something that you needed to speak to me about?" Lloyd looked at him briefly before looking up at the starry skies, apparently thinking about how to phrase his next question. Kratos sat next to his son in silence, waiting for the question that was going to invariably come.

Then, "Kratos … are you atheist?" Lloyd asked softly, glancing sidelong at Kratos through his chocolate colored hair. Startled, Kratos looked at his son again, not bothering to show his surprise at such a sudden question.

"… Why do you ask?" He responded after a moment, only to be answered by Lloyd's light laugh. About to ask what Lloyd found so humorous, Kratos stopped himself as Lloyd responded with, "I hear you chuckle darkly every time you hear Colette pray to Martel, but I don't think anyone else notices." Seeing his father's face change from stoic to mildly worried (if Lloyd had heard him do that, did he hear him whispering about how they were related), Lloyd hastily stated, "I – it doesn't matter to me if you are, I was just asking!"

"… No, it is nothing." Kratos reassured him, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder to quiet him. Drawing a deep breath, the auburn whispered, "But you are partially right; I do not have any religious beliefs common on Sylvarant." Lloyd relaxed after a moment, but then cocked his head off to one side in mild confusion.

"If that's the case, then why do you always pray for those souls who fall in battle?" He asked, to which Kratos sighed and shook his head; Lloyd noticed some of the strangest things, he had discovered. Seeing that Kratos wasn't going to answer him right away, Lloyd sighed and pressed on with, "or is it that you just don't believe in the Goddess? Either way, you certainly don't want Raine to find out; she'll attack you like she attacks a ruin when she's in Ruin-mode." Grimacing at that, Kratos decided to look back up at the stars, watching as the moon illuminated a constellation from behind.

"… True, I do not believe in Martel." He admitted after a moment, his eyes on the stars still. Lloyd didn't say anything, so Kratos continued, "But I do believe in a goddess, save for one that was lost to the sands of time."

"A star goddess?" Lloyd asked, to which Kratos turned to look at him; how had Lloyd come to that conclusion? Seeing the look he was getting, the brunet chuckled weakly and stated, "You're always gazing up at the stars when you think nobody else is looking, so I simply figured that you most likely believed in a god or goddess that dealt with the stars, instead of Martel." Smiling at the simplicity, but rather accurate assumption, Kratos nodded.

"She is tied to seven constellations, but in essence, you are correct, Lloyd." He stated, to which Lloyd beamed brightly. Glad to see that his son – who was rather insecure about his mental capabilities – was feeling slightly more confident with himself, Kratos reached out and involuntarily ruffled his hair. Startled, Lloyd let out a faint gasp and stared at Kratos in shock; he hadn't seen such an affectionate moment coming. Unable to help himself, Kratos smiled more, which only furthered the shocked look on Lloyd's face. After a moment, however, the brunet smiled as well, and father and son fell into a comfortable silence, looking up at the stars together.

After a moment, Lloyd asked softly, "But … do you believe in angels? In heaven?" Kratos looked at Lloyd, and sighed heavily; while he did cherish the time he spent with Lloyd, the teen asked some rather deep questions that proved awkward for Kratos to answer honestly. And while he knew that it was best if he lied, it still hurt to lie to the child that he cared for so deeply.

"I cannot deny the presence of angels, because then what would the Chosen one be?" He asked after a second, to which Lloyd blinked. Pausing, choosing how to best phrase his next statement, Kratos let his stoic façade break, showing all of the pain that he held behind his eyes. "And as for heaven … if it exists, then I hope that all of those victims of the Exspheres are there …" Lloyd looked at his mother's Exsphere with a sad look.

"Yeah … I hope Mom and Dad are there …" Kratos visibly winced at his son's words; that night still lingered fresh in his mind, and he too hoped to all hope that his love, his wife, his Anna was in heaven himself, even if he never spoke a word about it. Looking away from Lloyd, the auburn asked softly, his whole soul behind his words, "Lloyd … do you feel no anger towards your father? The sins of the father are the curse of the son, after all …"

To his shock, Lloyd did not react in anger, but rather shook his head softly. "What happened to Mom wasn't Dad's fault." He stated simply, standing up so that he stood before Kratos. The auburn looked up at his son with wide eyes, feeling nothing short of stunned awe in his entire being. Even though it had been his sword that pierced Anna's heart, his fault that Lloyd had been lost, Lloyd placed none of the blame on him.

Unaware of the fact that it was his very father that he was talking to, who he was secretly healing with his every word, Lloyd gave a soft, sardonic smile. "And anyway, while my father's sins _might_ be my curse, curses can be broken, can't they?" His voice was soft and somber, and to Kratos, it seemed as if the sun had risen in the middle of the night, chasing away the shadows. Kratos remained motionless, his red eyes dilated from the sheer shock of the weight Lloyd's words carried. The brunet must've sensed the auburn's distress, because he knelt before Kratos and gently shook his knee. "Kratos … are you alright?" He asked, snapping Kratos' attention to his face.

Although he didn't cry, Kratos did bury his face in his hands, choking on his own breath, which only served to make Lloyd panic more. Just before the boy could call for Raine, Kratos looked up on him , smiling softly. Although the look was subtle, Lloyd knew that something that was bothering the auburn had left. "… Kratos?" Lloyd asked softly, wondering if he had somehow upset the auburn. Kratos shook his head softly, and then stood up.

Completely on impulse, Kratos wrapped Lloyd in a hug. Ignoring the boy's startled complained, he whispered, "Thank you … you don't know how much I needed to hear that …" Lloyd went stock still after the statement, and as Kratos pulled away, he stared at him with wide red eyes. Sighing, Kratos ruffled his hair again. "Get some rest, we're heading out early again tomorrow." He told the teen, walking off to take his spot for the evening watch. As he settled down, he thought, '… Lloyd, if there was ever a person who could break the curse that my sins have wrought, it is you …'

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Wow, this was as random as all get out … well, I hope you all liked it …_

_Review, please~!_


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